12-29-2023 4:33am

LOCAL TINY HOUSES

More retirees are making the big decision to go tiny-do you have what it takes?

By John F. Wasik, Market Watch

For many, it allows them to be mortgage-free and enjoy more disposable income

Remember that Steve Martin routine "let's get small?" A new generation of home builders have taken that literally to heart in the tiny home movement, which is attracting growing attention from retirees looking to radically downsize.

While there's no official definition of a tiny house, the phrase generally refers to structures that are less than 1,000 square feet and offer extremely efficient use of space and energy. While they can be equipped with wheels and built in a factory using modular design, tiny houses should not be mistaken for mobile homes or trailers.

Indeed, tiny houses, which can be sited nearly anywhere that permits them, require modest utility connections and consume a fraction of the energy and resources of conventional homes. These dwellings are a low-cost opportunity for retirees to downsize and live flexible, more affordable lifestyles nearly anywhere.

Tiny communities to match

The biggest bonus is that downsizing into a tiny home can help many people becomehttps://huntvalleylife.town.news/node/add/article# mortgage free, making more of their disposable income available for travel.

Jill Kanto, a web developer, and owner of Choose Tiny, moved into a 300-square-foot, custom-designed house that she built seven years ago. Her home features two lofts, can sleep five (with a king-size and twin beds) and is situated in a tiny-home community in rural Baltimore County, Maryland.

Her water comes from a local spring and electricity comes from a community hookup. Propane fuels her water heater. An electric heat pump warms and cools her home.

"I downloaded blueprints, hired a carpenter and found a tiny home community within a farm," says Kanto, who volunteers to promote the tiny home movement and "feels a sense of peace" in her dwelling, which costs about $50 a month for electricity.

Her biggest expense is $120 a month for satellite internet, which she needs for her at-home job. She sees her tiny lifestyle as a potential route to an affordable retirement.

For many, letting go of the FINISH READING HERE

I built a tiny home for my two children when I got divorced and now I help others do the same – I’ve saved thousands